Pride, shame and health among adolescents – a cross-sectional surveyShow others and affiliations
2018 (English)In: International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, ISSN 0334-0139, E-ISSN 2191-0278, Vol. 30, no 6, article id 20160107Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background
Pride and shame are important emotions known to influence identity development and psychological well-being in adolescence. Research evidence indicates that self-rated health (SRH) is a strong predictor of future health. This cross-sectional study, conducted during 2008–2009, aimed to investigate the associations between pride, shame and SRH among adolescent boys and girls.
Methods
The study sample comprised 705 adolescents in Sweden aged 17–18 years (318 boys and 387 girls) who completed a questionnaire that included items on SRH, shame and pride (participation rate 67%). Logistic regression analyses (univariable and multivariable) were used to investigate the associations between pride and shame as separate and combined constructs on SRH, adjusting for potential confounders (country of birth, parental educational level, school experience, having enough friends, mood in family and being active in associations).
Results
Pride and shame separately were significantly associated with SRH in both genders. Logistic regression analysis of the pride-shame model showed that the odds of having lower SRH were highest in boys and girls with lower pride-higher shame. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis of the pride-shame model the odds of having lower SRH remained significant in boys and girls with lower pride-higher shame [boys: odds ratio (OR) 3.51, confidence interval (CI) 1.40–8.81; girls: OR 2.70, CI 1.22–5.96] and in girls with lower pride-lower shame (OR 2.16, CI 1.02–4.56).
Conclusion
The emotions of shame and pride are associated with SRH in adolescence. Experiencing pride seems to serve as a protective mechanism in SRH in adolescents exposed to shame. We believe that this knowledge should be useful in adolescent health promotion.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2018. Vol. 30, no 6, article id 20160107
Keywords [en]
adolescent, health status, pride, priding, self-rated health, shame, shaming, Sweden
National Category
Health Sciences
Research subject
Health and Welfare, Hälsa ur ett ungdomsperspektiv
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:du-25270DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2016-0107Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85059687925OAI: oai:DiVA.org:du-25270DiVA, id: diva2:1113176
2017-06-212017-06-212023-01-17Bibliographically approved